St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-25
A GREAT PLANT.
Something About One of ST. Paurs
Big Establishments.

Something About One OF ST. PauPS
Big Establishments.
No larger concern of its kind than the
BONN Manufacturing company is doing
business west of Chicago. 1t has been
about twenty-eight years in existence,
coming to st. Paul from WinOna, under
a new organization, with a capital stock
of S250,0O0. The business of such a con-
Germ is interesting because so great; and
big figures, when they are produced at
home, make good reading.
The factories and yards cover twenty
acres on Arcad street, near Wells. EX-
tensive additions are now in process of
erection, which will materially increase
their already large facilities. The yards
contain over mile of Sidetracks, which
place the factory in direct communica-
ton with all markets. Four hundred
and twenty-five men find employment
in and about the factory and yards.
Here are turned out the immense guam
titles of windows, sash, doors, blinds
and lumber required to supply the trade.
The factory itself consists of three sec
tons; one 60X190, three stories high ;
one 60x160, three stories, and a two
story structure 76x76. The dry kiln is
S0x76. The glazing shop is 50x120, five
stories high; the store house of two
stories is 50X300, and the planning mill,
one story in height, is 120Xl20. There
are three engines. That of the factory
is supplied by six boilers with COM
bined power of $50 horses, that of the
planning mill 250-hOrse power, and a rs
horse power engine supplies the motive
power which lights the buildings and
yards by electricity. The company
buys its supplies in all markets, both
logs and sawn lumber, and handles
about &C, 600, coo feet year. They keep
in stock from Is, 000, 900 to 20, 000, 600 feet.
The territory covered by this trade in
cludes Canada On the north, and all as
far south as the Gulf of Mexico and as
far west and southwest as sash, doors or
blinds are used. The company have
warehouses at Omaha for the accommo-
datiOn of the Southwestern trade. These
are supplied from the factories here,
and are under the supervision of Mr..
w. &. Bohn "a son of the president of
the company, who is manager of the
trade in that section. The general
offices are at the factory, which, with
the city offices, at the corner of Sibley
and Sixth streets, require the services
of staff of fifteen men. The annual
sales of the company amount to 5000, 900.
Mr.. Conrad BOhn, the president, is a
native of HeSSe-Cassel, in Germany,
who arrived in New York in 1852, and
came West, to Winona, in 1860. Here
he engaged in building and contracting,
and went into sash and door manufact-
uring and was burned out in 1874. He
at once rebuilt and kept making addi-
tons till in 1880, when the BOhn Manu-
featuring company was incorporated,
with branch at st. Paul. In 1856 the
entire plant was removed to st. Paul.
Mr.. Bonn represented WinOna county
in the state legislature in 1856. He still
lives at that place, coming into the city
daily. Mr.. BOhn takes personal super
vision of the factory and yards.
Mr.. Gebhart Bohn, the vice president,
is brother of Mr.. Conrad BOhn, and
arrived in this country from Germany
in 1872. He was first engaged in the
Winona bank, and after two years opened
lumber yard at Redwood Falls,
where he remained until 1880. At the